The Veranda

When we built this house 13 years ago, the builder generously gave us two sets of wooden steps that led from the house into the back yard. (One set from the kitchen area and one from the laundry room.) Needless to say they were nothing to look at and were very awkward. It was not long before my husband hatched a plan…

Soon after, with the help of our eager teenage boys, we ripped out the steps and started building a raised porch off of the house connecting the kitchen and laundry areas and leading to the pool area. The patio and pool were already in place so we knew we wanted the spaces to match. We picked out a stackable stone and bought matching pavers. My husband borrowed a friend’s tractor and we were off to the races! Here are the original steps:

It has been so long ago I can’t remember how many weekends it took, but based on our track record, it was probably quite a few. (I’m sure our boys remember this fondly.) It turned out great though! But after a year or so, we decided it would be better if it had a roof over it too. We bought 3 round wooden columns and started drawing some plans. But because of time restraints and technical difficulties, we decided to hire it out. I’m glad we did. It turned out to be pretty involved, tying the roof line and windows together and getting the pitch of the roof at the proper angle.

It turned out beautifully in the end! It’s a pretty small area but still one of our favorite places in the whole house. It measures just 7X20 feet. The three white columns support it nicely and match the traditional style of the house. My husband built the steps and the stone columns. I bought some round concrete finials in NC for $25 a piece and put them on top of the columns on each side of the steps. We put bead board trim on the underside of the roof. Once it was complete I decided it was too pretty of an area to call a porch, and the space beside the pool was called the patio, so I insisted everyone call the new space “The Veranda”. We have 2 rocking chairs and our grill on the Veranda. It is one of ours and Lacey’s favorite spots. We love sitting out there and enjoying the view or watching a rain shower. Lacey loves the feel of the cool stone and is the perfect spot to guard her yard! The space is so seamless it looks like it was built the same time as the house.

Now that the new hardie plank siding is up, we cleaned off the pavers, rockers and cushions. They are back in place. I need to hang our “B” plaque from Ballard Designs above the laundry room door to the right. I’m going to add some string lights and maybe a little chandelier? I can’t wait to open the pool and spruce up the yard. Want to join us for some sweet tea on the Veranda?